Top 5 practical tips to protect your business today

Did you know…

that 90% of large organisations suffered an information security breach in 2015?[1] Your organisation could be next!

Most large organisations lost a shocking $7.78k USD to $1.4m USD on average yearly. Cyber attackers did not spare small businesses either. 74% of them were victims of cyber attacks, of which most suffered damages ranging from $84k USD to $149k USD in 2015.

A large culprit of such attacks come in the form of ransomware. Ransomware is a virus that attacks your company’s internet data ecosystem. The virus does so by effectively:

Disguising itself as either a “cop” or “Locker”,

Locking you out of your data till you pay a ransom

Taking you hostage by stealing your information, and then threating to spread it if a fee is not paid.

With 59% of respondents expecting more security incidents next year[2], cyber attacks present an immense threat to any business. BUT your organisation does not have to be next.

Here’s what your organisation could do:

1) Get employees on board

The war against cyber terror must be fought from the ground up, starting with all employees. 75% of large organisations in 2015 experienced staff related security breaches. Awareness of hackers’ tactics including “social engineering”[3]must be communicated and ultimately, employees must never open email attachments from unknown sources.

2) Get in the cloud

Backup your valuable data offsite. Find a system, or an IT support service that stores data and protect in on the cloud for you. Make sure the backed up data is current through regular backups.

3) Restrict access

Simply by limiting the authorisation of your employees to download certain files, access to sensitive company databases and running updates, you lower the avenues to which viruses such as ransomware from creeping into your system.

4) Check your files carefully

Ransomware, such as CryptoLocker, often come in the form of a file with extension “.PDF.EXE”. Check the full file extension before opening it. One way would be to unhide file extensions on windows explorer to view the file’s full name.

5) Disable Remote Desktop Protocol (RDP)

CryptoLocker and other forms of ransomware frequently enter computers through RDP. RDP is a feature on Windows that gives you access to your desktop offsite. If you do not need to use RDP, it would be advisable for you to disable it.

BUT these actions alone are not enough!

They do not comprehensively protect you from cyber threats. That is why you need eVantage Technology. Our services are thorough, proven and current to protect your data from cyber threats. Here’s how we can protect your company: